Tahoe-area officials ask Airbnb to stop vacation rentals amid stay-at-home order
.jpg "Sunlight shimmers off the snow and waters of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe. The coronavirus is hitting California’s most famous tourist sites hard.")
Tahoe and Truckee officials sent a letter to Airbnb this week asking the vacation-rental site to help them limit vacation bookings as tourists continue to visit the region amid California’s stay-at-home order.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Dec. 3 order limits travel and prohibits hotels and vacation rentals from accepting reservations for non-essential workers. But that is proving difficult to enforce, according to public officials, with the popular tourist destination still drawing many reservations.
The letter — sent by Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson, El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel and Truckee Town Manager Jen Callaway — asks the vacation-rental giant to inform property owners that bookings for non-essential travel are in violation of the state order. The letter also asks Airbnb to work with local government officials and inform them of property owners who are “noncompliant.”
“Your support will help (short-term rental) operators comply with the Order and also ensure our rural healthcare systems are not overrun during this holiday season,” the letter reads. “In addition, Placer County and the Town of Truckee are looking at options to penalize (short-term rental) operators who rent their properties during this time.
“Your assistance will also help (short-term rental) operators avoid losing their permits which will also have impacts to your business should several operators lose the ability to rent in the future.”
The Truckee Town Council will also consider adopting an urgency ordinance in its meeting Tuesday that would give officials power to revoke or suspect short-term rental permits for owners that violate the stay-at-home order.